Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp and Roasted Vegetables

Did you ever have a restaurant meal that was so delicious you were inspired to recreate it at home? This is one of those meals, after just one taste I knew that I had to make it myself! An elegant dinner for two, it is both comfort food and fine dining rolled into one! The steps are easy to follow and the results are impressive. It’s a bit time consuming for a week night, but you can speed things up by making the risotto ahead of time. I also used a bit of butternut squash left over from another meal, and for a special garnish, I toasted a few pumpkin seeds.

Dinner for 2

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Ingredients:

1 dozen large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 medium cauliflower, chopped into uniform pieces
1/3 cup pureed butternut squash (reserved from another meal)
1 cup cooked risotto, (see basic preparation here)
Old Bay® seasoning
2 tbsp. butter, divided
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cups gluten free chicken broth, or more as needed
1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds for garnish

Preparation:

Chop the cauliflower into uniform size pieces, about 1-1/4″. Rinse, toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil, and season with Old Bay. Roast at 425º for 20 minutes. You should see some browning around the edges.

Heat a cast iron braising pan or heavy skillet with 1 tbsp. butter. Add the shrimp and peas, and sprinkle with Old Bay.

Cook the shrimp for several minutes, just until they turn pink.

Add the roasted cauliflower to the skillet.

Warm the cooked risotto in a small saucepan with the remaining 1 tbsp. of butter, then stir in the butternut squash puree. If it’s too thick add 1/3 cup chicken broth.

To plate, make a bed of risotto and top with the shrimp and veggies. Garnish with a few pumpkin seeds.

Isn’t that beautiful? What a great meal for date night. I think it was even better than the restaurant version! If you’re hesitant about making risotto, be sure to give my Basic Risotto recipe a quick read. It’s easy and you’ll be an expert in no time!

Originally posted 9/08/2019 Updated 2/03/2022